Biology / Unit 7 Bio 1527 short lesson, about 20 seconds
RT-PCR: Amplifying from an RNA Template
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The idea
Reverse transcriptase PCR first converts an RNA template into complementary DNA, then amplifies that DNA with ordinary PCR.
In practice
Reverse transcriptase builds a cDNA strand from an mRNA template before the PCR cycle of amplification begins.
Where people slip
RT-PCR's first step is reverse transcription, a distinct reaction from PCR itself — PCR only begins once cDNA already exists.
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